


Step Into The Garden

by shellibisshe



Category: Far Cry 5, Far Cry New Dawn
Genre: F/M, Multi, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:01:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25942528
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shellibisshe/pseuds/shellibisshe
Summary: Deputy Elenore Parker has lived in Hope County all her life. New to the department, Elenore was ready for a life of welfare checks and noise complaints, but that all changes after a single call. She's then forced onto the team in charge of serving a warrant to one Joseph Seed, and in the process becomes Hope County's hero. At least, that's what everyone likes to remember.
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed, John Seed & Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

Elenore’s life these past few years could really be called ‘a series of unfortunate events.’

It all started with her dad retiring, winter of 2015. It didn’t help that Elle was still nursing a hangover from the night before when her dad called with the ‘good news.’ “Whitehorse is movin’ up. Someone’s gotta take his spot, so I saved the deputy position for ya.” he said, even though Elle had no interest in the role, “it’ll be good for ya.” The next day she had the interview, and despite all her attempts, she got the job. 

If she thought really hard, her life started spiraling when the cult moved in, which, obviously, makes sense. It’s not every day a doomsday cult moves into your county and starts buying up the land. It was spring, 2010, only a few months after her and Joey split, she was still sour over it. 

They were peaceful at first, friendly even. A little off, yea, but so is everyone here and Elle didn’t think much of it. Her dad never called to complain about altercations with them, never got into anything with them herself. They were preppers, which didn’t phase Elle; a lot of people are around here and while she didn’t really believe in a biblical end of days, she knew the world has to end at some point, might as well be prepared, right?

She’d even started talking to one. Right after she got the job, they gave her a radio. Elle was never good with technology, the girl had a flip phone until her sister begged her to get a smartphone. The radio was even worse. She was trying to find the right frequency for the jail, and in the process ended up finding a private frequency– the cult’s private frequency. 

Same time she got the job at the sheriff’s department, another new kid moved in. 

New kid, Gabe, was a guy from Missouri, Kansas City if Elle heard right. He transferred from the police department there, never said why other than he “needed a change of scenery,” and his first day at the jail he started flirting with Elle. He wasn’t too good at hiding why he was really there. Turned out he was pretty high up in Kansas City and had been recruited to help out in the county. 

They got on fine, even shared a few nights together before they eventually started dating. She was happy and hadn't felt that way in a long time. 

Then he popped the question, spring 2017, around the same time she asked Joey to marry her all those years ago. 

They got married that fall, a small affair in the courthouse, her parents and sister were there with her. Shortly after, her sister left to visit family in California, that was the last time they saw each other. 

Then it all came down, for real this time. 

Elle couldn’t see it, blissfully ignorant to everything he did. She wrote off a lot of things as normal relationship stuff. Everyone can be pushy about some things, insecure about others. She didn’t mind cutting off a few friends, she wasn’t talking to them anyways. She brushed off the comments he’d make about her, she felt they were true most times. There were a lot of things she wasn’t good at and she knew it, but it still stung a little bit coming from him. He’d raise his voice a few times a week, careful to make sure the rest of Fall’s End didn’t hear, but Elle was a difficult person sometimes. She screwed up a lot of things for him, on purpose or not. 

Including the arrest. 

The details are muddy. About a week before the arrest, they went on a call, just Elle and Gabe. It was supposed to be a simple welfare check. The Jessop family called it in, they do every week. Said their daughter was strung out again. Said she was in the old radon mine this time, hiding out with her junkie friends while her family begged her to come home. So Elle and Gabe went, like they do every week, gave the same speech about her family before Gabe yelled that he saw a gun. 

A fight broke out after, Elle and Gabe retreated to the one lone building for cover. He got in front of her for a split second, right before Elle pulled the trigger on her pistol. 

She shot him in the leg, grazed him really, but he was still put on leave. That’s when she found out why he was really there. The same day the U.S. Marshal showed up with the arrest warrant for Joseph, he was told that his partner had been taken off the team and Elle was put on in his place. 

And now, after spending a week on the couch, she was driving to the jail in the middle of the night. 


	2. Chapter I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deputy Elenore Parker’s life begins to spiral after a failed arrest attempt that wasn’t even her job in the first place.

It all felt like a blur to Elenore.

At midnight she left her home quietly, her husband sleeping peacefully in their room. 

This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.

If they hadn’t gone on that call, if she hadn’t gone on that call, Gabe wouldn’t be injured. He’d be the one taking down Joseph Seed. He’d be the hero. Sure, she’d been with the department longer, been in the county longer. But this was his assignment, his job. And it was nobody’s fault but her own that she had to drive to the jail in the pitch-black night. 

Before she left, her radio crackled to life. John again, she knew it. She only half-listened to him, sleep still hanging over her like a fog, too hard to focus. He was warning her about something, more rhetoric from the cult, no doubt. Elle shut her radio off halfway through his speech. 

And then, she was at the jail. Whitehorse gave her and the other deputies, Joey and Pratt, a rundown of what was to happen. They’d heard it many times by now; a U.S. Marshal had come with a warrant for Joseph’s arrest. They were to simply arrest him and slowly dismantle the cult from there. Elle had suggested, begged even, to bring her rifle along, but Whitehorse didn’t have it. When the time came, the group piled into a helicopter and was sent on their way. 

It wasn’t long before the chaos started. 

Elenore could only remember small fragments, bits and pieces of the night that felt like it went on for years. 

She remembered seeing Joseph in the church, surrounded by the cultists and Heralds. People were yelling, guns were being drawn, but it died down as Elle was told to handcuff the man standing in front of her, muttering a simple “okay.” She noticed one of the Heralds fidget, he stood out among the rest of the statue-like figures before her, but she rushed out of the church before anything could be said. 

She remembered seeing the flames rise from the helicopter after it crashed, Joseph walking out of the wreckage like it was a casual Sunday stroll. Next to her, Joey hung from her seat, her seat belt being the only thing holding her in place. She tried to unbuckle the both of them, but Elle wasn’t quick enough. She screamed and cried, clawed at Joey as they dragged her out. Elle almost lost her arm when part of the wreckage collapsed between them. 

And then she was out. Running from the cultists, hanging out the side of that truck, Burke managed to find.

“Knew I should have brought my fuckin’ gun!” She sneered out as Burke tried his best to dodge the roadblocks. It felt like the entire cult was shooting at them; they were in way over their heads. On all sides, they were being hit, even from the air. 

All this culminated with the truck landing into a stretch of the river. Elle went in and out of consciousness, saw Burke being taken by more cultists, and finally a hand reaching out for her. 

And then she woke up. 

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust. It was dark, a message from Joseph played in the background. Then she saw him, a man standing at the table near the radio. 

She’d recognize that bald head anywhere. 

“Dutch?” She managed to croak out. She tried to stand, but she was stopped. She looked to her right, realizing now why her arms were so sore. “You zip-tied me to the fuckin’ bed?! Dutch, you know me!”

“Don’t know who’s in the fuckin’ cult these days. Gotta be careful.” He said, walking over and sitting in the chair in front of her. 

“Okay, well,” she said, moving to place her foot on the leg of the bed and break the zip tie, “you know I’m not so,” after a second of trying, she stopped, “let me go.”

“I should turn you in; that’d be the smart thing to do.” He laughed. Nonetheless, he brought out a hunting knife, careful not to nick her arms while he cut the zip ties. “We’re gonna have to burn that uniform.”

“No we will not.” She was standing now, trying to rub away the red marks on her wrists. How long was she out? Miraculously, nothing was broken. Her arms and sides were bruised, she could already tell, and her legs were stiff, but other than that, she was okay. She’d have time to process what happened later. “I need to get to Grace’s.” 

“You need to change! They’re gonna recognize ya, you won’t get anywhere close to Grace’s with that badge.” 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” she huffed. She unbuttoned the dark green shirt, tying it around her waist to conceal the badge hanging off her belt. “Good enough.”

Dutch let out a small laugh, “Radio’s on the bed. Been goin’ off whole time you were out.” Elle nodded, shifting her weight to leave the room when Dutch grabbed her arm.

“Where’re your parents? Your sister? They okay?” He wasn’t looking at her, but he kept a firm grip on her arm. 

“Em left the county a while back. She’s safe.” She saw Dutch nod. “My parents went on a huntin’ trip. Shouldn’t have been bothered by this mess.”

“Hopefully.” He said. “Mary May called, needs some help in Fall’s End.” And then he let go. 

Elle raided the one gun case he told her to, and she went on her way. Leaving the bunker, she took a second to orient herself, running through her mental checklist as she walked through the forest. 

First: go to Grace’s house. Elle kept all her gear there, her vest, her boots, her treasured rifle Air Support. It should all be there unless some cultists got a little too nosy. 

Second: check on her house. Hopefully, Gabe was able to go somewhere safe during all this. If not….

We’ll think about that later.

Third: check on her parents. Hopefully, they were able to stay hidden during all this. 

She heard her radio crack again. 

Fourth: answer John’s radio calls. Though she had some choice words for him. 

Getting to Grace’s house was easy enough. Elle stuck to the woods, the few backroads she knew in the valley. She got a little turned around, and when she finally found Grace’s house, she was at the back of it. 

Or what was left of it. 

The house was mostly gone, charred black but still smoldering. She could see three cultists standing at the front, one armed with a flamethrower, torching what was left of the house. Between them, a gas canister, fuel for the flamethrower she realized. If they’d just move a bit closer…

She got low, laid on the ground even, and evened up the rifle’s sites with the canister. Waiting until all three of them got close enough, she held her breath and took the shot. 

The canister exploded, more flames landing on the burnt down house, and Elle said a mental apology to Grace. She stayed there for a second, making sure they were all down, before reloading the rifle and slinging it over her shoulder. The house was completely trashed. Any dressers that were still standing were burnt completely, the clothes inside ashes. But that was fine for Elle; she knew exactly where to go. 

After navigating the debris, almost catching fire when the water heater exploded next to her and climbing onto the roof, she found it; the bunker. The door was still shut, meaning the cultists never got to it. As fast as she could, she pulled the steel door open and slipped inside. 

It was dark, the only light coming from the now open door. Grace’s bunker was Elle’s second home. She was here constantly, had her own spot and everything. In the dark, she still found her way to the trunk she kept her gear in. She tucked her green shirt, tank top, and jeans into the chest, exchanging them for a black turtleneck, she didn’t know if it was hers or Grace’s, her only pair of skinny jeans, her bulletproof vest and holsters, and lastly, the pair of tan combat boots that sat next to the trunk. 

Navigating the dark again, she found her gun case. A long, slim case shoved under one of the beds, covered in old stickers from Elle’s teenage years. She brought the case out, eagerly unlocking each latch, before carefully pulling the rifle out. It was a long gun, about as long as Elle was tall, and it was painted in dull reds and grays with pops of yellow lines. In the case was also a matching silencer, which Elle spared no time attaching to the rifle. She had a separate case, one just for scopes and silencers, and spent the better part of an hour upgrading her pistol and a spare AR-C that Grace left for her.

_ Grace _ . She was the whole reason Elle came here. She needed to find her. Throwing her new weapons over her shoulder by the strap, she climbed out of the bunker. She found her way to the road again, doing her best to avoid the roadblocks. She stuck to the streets, admittedly getting a bit distracted in the calmness before she heard gunshots again.

The Church.

The Church with the cemetery that Grace’s father was just buried in. 

Elle dashed in the direction of the church as the gunshots got louder and louder. Dozens of white trucks, some with mounted guns even, had pooled in the ditch at the base. Bodies were strewn all around the property, all with one clean entry and exit wound. Then Elle saw her.

Sitting at the very top of the bell tower, Grace. She was exhausted, her rifle haphazardly thrown to the side. Elle surveyed the scene as she climbed to the bell tower. Ammo and extra magazines were scattered on the floor as Grace leaned against the wall and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Her eyes shifted to Elle, a weak “Hey.” falling from her mouth.

“You look like hell.” Elle half laughed out, bending down to sit in the bell tower next to her. “How long you been at this?”

“Fuck if I know, whole day, at least.” Grace groaned back, moving to lay flat on the floor. “They better not come back.”

Elle surveyed the grounds again. 

There were bodies everywhere—some lay right in front of the various graves and memorials that littered the small graveyard. Most were near the entrance, right next to the road. A few were in the woods behind the little church. Elle brought her binoculars up, taking a closer look at the chiseled stones. Some bits of the rock had been hit, but most looked exactly like they did when Elle was here a few weeks ago. 

Getting up, she let out a laugh, “I think they got the message, Grace. Come’on, we gotta go.”

“Go where?” Grace replied, taking Elle’s hand and pulling herself up. They could see Fall’s End in the distance, and from here, it almost looked normal. Calm. 

Except for the smoke coming from a raging fire on the street.

“Fall’s End. Come on, we gotta go.” Elle tapped Grace’s shoulder, offering a hand to help her up. The two of them carefully made their way down the bell tower, careful to avoid the dead bodies lying about the property. Elle found a truck that still had the keys in it, and in an instant, the two of them entered the vehicle and drove towards Fall’s End.

They abandoned the truck a few meters away from the town. The two got out of the truck, pulling their gear from the bed when Elle spoke.

“‘Kay, here’s the plan,” she started, loading her gun and checking the scope. “I’ll go to the water tower, take out the alarms.

“And me?”

“You..” Elle started, “you should...stay behind.”

“Elenore.”

“Grace, you need to take a break.” Elle started to walk away from the truck, leaving Grace at the truck. “Don’t follow me.”

Leaving the wooded area, Elle was careful to stay away from the road again. She found the water tower, carefully to not make a sound as she climbed up the creaky metal ladder. She reached the top, a small platform circled the water tank. Taking her binoculars out, she surveyed the area, making a mental note of each enemy, each alarm...each hostage. Luckily there were only two, and she recognized one as Pastor Jerome. Moving her rifle from her back to the area in front of her, she brought the sites up. Wordlessly, she sent a bullet to each alarm, lingering only long enough to see sparks fly from the now broken system. Aiming slightly over, she hovered over her first target, her first real human target. 

Elle was a talented sharpshooter, don’t get me wrong. She was raised in the Whitetails. She spent most of her time hunting game—deer, rabbits, the occasional squirrel even. But never a person. She’d never had a reason unless they were shooting at her. And yea, she had shot some cultists before, but that was different. She was being shot at then, she had to, she had no choice. These guys though..these guys didn’t even know she was there, they weren’t shooting at her. Well, not right now, at least. 

Not that she was going to give them a chance. 

Elle waited for this particular target to go off by themself, to buy some more time, and as the moment came, she sucked in a quick breath. Holding her breath, holding the rifle steady, it brought her back to all those hunting trips with her parents. She could feel that same thrill rising, and she hated it. But she was wasting time. She had to take the shot.

And she did.

The nameless body dropped between two of the houses, and Elle made quick work of the rest. Taking out her binoculars one more time, surveying the area one more time, she checked every body. She knew she’d check one more time, turn them all over and search for a pulse and extra ammo, but she had to do this first. Once she was sure they were all dead, she ran back to the truck. Grace was still there, stretched out as much as she could over the seats in the small cab. Elle shook Grace’s shoulder gently, waking her. The two made their way back to town, freeing the hostages and working to clean up the place as much as they could. Elle kept her eyes trained on her home, a small blue house right across from the water tower. She watched and waited for Gabe to come out, waiting for him to run to her as best as he could. But he never did.

It was midnight when she finally stopped waiting.    
Mary May offered for her to stay with her that night, said it’d be safer, said she’d watch over Elle and Grace, but it didn’t make that sinking feeling in Elle's stomach go away. Maybe he was just mad at her again, silent treatment and all that. Or perhaps something worse happened; what was she supposed to do if something worse happened? There was a light on in one of the windows; someone was home. But Elle knew that she couldn’t leave, what with Grace clinging to her and Mary May standing guard at the door. She couldn’t very well get to her gear either. Mary May had the forethought to take it.

But Elle was tired. Exhausted even, but who wouldn’t be? And she couldn’t fight it anymore. Pulling the blanket up to her shoulders, Elle let her exhaustion consume her, drifting off into a not so restful sleep.    



End file.
